CattleMaster247 Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Good Evening gentleman, I'm new to the Forum and have a little woodworking under my belt, but thats not the case when it comes to turning. I was able to spend saturday, at woodcraft and take a beginners turning class. Well 7 hrs later I was hooked and loading a delta midi lathe 460 into my truck. Class was very informative and a blast. Now on to what I need a little helpful knowledge. While purchasing the lathe I alsobought some common chucks and tail chucks, ones that were suggested by instructor. I purchased a rough gouging tool by wood river along with pen turning kit with three detail chisels. I am looking to find out what some of your opinions are on some good quality turning tools that will not break my piggy bank. Are the $75+ tools really worth it? I do own a tormek and don't mind sharpening my tools, and sharpen a good # and all kinds of wood turning tools. Thanks for any advice you might give, Thanks Dugan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwatson Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 to get a starter set you can get the Benjamin's Best tools from penn state industries like this set for example. once you get going if you can learn how to turn tool handles you can save money on better tools like Thompson I bought one of his bowl gouges 55 for 1/2 inch but i had to turn the handle myself. there are some jigs and things made for the tormek specifically for turning tools so thats a good start right there. one thing about the more expensive tools is they do hold an edge longer but you can get along and make a start with the cheaper set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 There are other problems with cheaper tools than just the hardness of the steel. A poorly made tool will have variations in thickness which will make it impossible to get a uniform grind. The flute on a cheap tool will also have longitudinal ridges on the inside surface. The edge on a gouge is the intersection of the end grind and the inside of the flute surface. These ridges will prevent a clean edge from being ground. Think in terms of the back of a chisel or plane iron. We normally polish these to a mirror shine for a reason. Polishing the ridges out of a flute is not easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I agree with Joe. A good beginner brand is Benjamin Best. However, my recommendation is to not buy a set. You'll end up never using half of the the chisels in the set. Get a parting tool, 2 spindle gouges (3/4 and 1/4") and 2 skews (1" and 1/2"). That will be plenty to get you going and learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwatson Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I really want to be clear when i say cheap I don't mean CHEAP i mean the tools that cost less ie Benjamin's best etc. they are perfectly good tools and work well. now to be honest i have seen where people have bought the Harbor freight set and work well enough to learn from. I am not advocating buying the cheapest tools you can find but you can find quality tools for less money but might not be as good as Thompson or some other manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 You know, thinking this over a bit. I have been turning over 10 years. And still have and use every single gouge that I started with. None of them endangered of being ground to nothing. I say, If you have the cash to buy the better quality tools then do so. Buy good bowl gouges, and spindle gouges. The rest of the lot can be of lesser quality, ie:Benjamins Best Buy them once, but buy good tools to start with. It dont take that long to figure out how to sharpen them, esp if you have the Tormek and appropriate jigs. Thats my take on tools and most everything else in woodworking. Buy the best you can afford and only buy once. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I started out with the $20 set of HF tools. Most of them still get used. Once you learn a good technique to sharpen them, a cheap lathe tool can cut as well as an expensive one. The trade off is with a cheap lathe tool, you are likely to be sharpening much more often. One alternative I can give you for gouges is http://www.thompsonl...etools.com/ as they are every bit as good, if not better then your higher end lathe tools. The tools themselves don't come handled. An opportunity to save some cash is by turning your own handles, which is what I did for my gouges. Or you can buy his handles, which are top notch as well. And, I won't be getting rid of my HF tools anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid-woodworker Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 I have some "mini tools" that I bought as a set and I do not use them any more. Buy what you need to turn your first project and buy good tools, they can wear out over time but after five years I still use all my original full sized tools. For spindles a roughing gouge is handy, get a wide one to make the roughing quicker. Buy a 3/8 or 1/2 spindle gouge, just one and learn to use it before moving on. You will probably want to get a skew, I use mine mostly for finish parting off, I am not proficient with it. For bowls, a 12" gouge is a good place to start and maybe a 1" round or square scraper. The unhandled tool idea is a good one. Most important I'd to turn, turn, turn. The more you turn and the more often you turn the better your skills. BRuce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 dont know how you feel about making your own tools the nice thing about wood turning tools is that they are simply shaped so with a little bit of creativity you can make your own. if your inturested let me know got a few links. here is some stuff you might be able to use as a new turner its videos, samples, projects, stores, ect. http://aroundthewoods.com/tools.shtml http://www.woodturnersresource.com/ http://www.woodcentr...orum/ornaments/ http://www.woodturni...e.com/index.php http://www.turningbl...olprojects/Page http://www.woodworke...h=center finder some tools i have made for turning http://globaltooling...ert-knives.html blades for a home made e-z carving tool this is prity usefull for beginers especial dealing witn end grain this is a very good tool that you can make yourself and save alot of money. same with the decorating tools they add flair with little cost. favorite turners http://www.youtube.c...D?feature=watch http://www.youtube.c...re=results_main http://www.youtube.com/user/bobham5 a few tricks that i have learned to burn lines get the sample cards of formica it will burn a hole on side grain or face grain of a project. these can be found at any do it yourself store favorite finish is : shelack, boild linseed oil, denatured alch one part of each mixed together. it makes a decent finish that blends and smooths well, dries fast and is shinny. Some stores http://www.woodcraft...s-and-kits.aspx http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/ http://www.packardwo...gory_Code=tools http://www.pennstate...ning-tools.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 http://www.youtube.c...re=results_main It's official, Capt. Eddie is my new favorite youtube personality! Informative, and entertaining! (Sorry Marc, you still rock too, but you never have a dog stealing your tools while you work.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 It's official, Capt. Eddie is my new favorite youtube personality! Informative, and entertaining! (Sorry Marc, you still rock too, but you never have a dog stealing your tools while you work.) captain eddie is great what i like is he shows how to make tools and attachments as well as making stuff. im totaly into making my own tools. plus he shows how you can do it dirt cheap or as cheap as possible and still have quality products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 captain eddie is great what i like is he shows how to make tools and attachments as well as making stuff. im totaly into making my own tools. plus he shows how you can do it dirt cheap or as cheap as possible and still have quality products. I don't think you have his website listed in your original post for buying tools. He sells, what is commonly referred to as the "EZ tools" type setup for much much cheaper! I will link it below for anyone interested! http://eddiecastelin.com/products_and_services Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 no i didnt add it figure he has it on his videos i have made a tool like the EZ tool cost my i think like 20-30 dollers 10 of that was for a box of blades. if you want to just make one let me know and ill walk you through it......crazy easy take you a afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 I am not ready yet to start building my tools, but I would love to know how. One of my biggest concerns is that i just don't have any metal working background. For some reason, I don't mind jumping headfirst into new woodworking projects, but metal work has me apprehensive. If you don't mind, I think it would make for a great thread for the future, and other users aswell! Thanks Duckkisser! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 no problem chris serously if you have a bench grinder/ angle grinder/ drill/ and a tap set you can make this tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted November 12, 2012 Report Share Posted November 12, 2012 Metal is fairly easy to understand. By the time the end user gets it, all the hard work has been done. If you are looking for metal stock, the easiest place to start would be McMaster Carr. After a while of knowing what you are looking for, and experience using it, then you can start looking for local suppliers. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a guy who can beat MMC's prices... and sometimes you find someone who tells you up front you should be going to MMC. (Found one that fit both categories... but I was looking for both brass rod and tool steel.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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